Saccharin preference in animals prenatally exposed to alcohol: no evidence of altered sexual dimorphism.

Abstract

Pregnant dams were intubated with alcohol (3.5 g/kg, twice daily) on gestation days 11-21. One group of control animals was intubated with an isocaloric solution and was pair-fed and pair-watered to alcohol-treated animals. Another control group was untreated and fed ad lib. At birth offspring were culled and placed with nontreated dams. Animals were tested for saccharin preference at 7 months of age. There was a significant group X concentration interaction when the data were expressed in terms of ml/100 g body weight but when concentrations were examined separately, groups differed significantly only at one concentration of saccharin. When expressed in terms of preference ratios, there were no significant effects of treatment at any concentration and no evidence for an alteration by alcohol of sexual dimorphism in saccharin preference.